Although there are a number of strategies that work to improve rankings, Google+ can play an important role in SEO results. Just by establishing yourself as a valued contributor to the social media site, the content you share will have a bigger chance in ranking high with Google search results.

Here are a few tips on how you can use Google+ to your advantage:

- Write and upload content often. This proves to Google that the content you create can be trusted.

- Optimize your Google+ title tags. A good title has a sure chance at ranking for its keywords and greatly influences click-through rates.

- Connect with heavy influencers in your industry. You can do this various ways like comment or mention them in a post or suggest new people to add to their circles.

- Embed post links. Insert followed links directly into your post and Google will automatically format it as a link.

- Share new content on Google+ and get indexed quickly.

Google+ was build to dominate the search results above all other social media platforms. As other social media sites restrict Google from accessing their data, Google+ becomes the best place for you to take advantage of its effect on your search results.

The second largest search engine in the world is YouTube. This means more people than ever are watching video to consume content. With the number of videos being uploaded on to the site every day, YouTube SEO has become just as important as website SEO. With some unique tips, you can optimize your video to raise both your YouTube rankings and Google search results.

- Name your video file with keywords so that YouTube gives relevancy credit to your video. By naming your file with related keywords, you will get ranked as well as get the right viewers you want to your video.

- Use the closed captions. YouTube crawls content for captions, making it an ideal option for not only getting the attention you want but the opportunity it offers for global viewers. With speech recognition technology, all you have to do is upload your script.

- Consider uploading HD videos. HD videos always outrank standard videos on YouTube.  If viewers know that you are investing the time, money, and energy to create a quality HD video, they will assume the content will be just as good.

- YouTube now gives relevancy credit to videos that are watched for a longer period of time. This means creating a fun and engaging video that will have viewers watching longer.  Take your time and make something truly enjoyable to watch.

Take advantage of all the ways you can optimize your videos. Don’t forget the basics like creating a headline with proper keywords, putting your link in the description, and including tags from other videos.

While the content on your blog is important, the platform on which you place your content plays a huge role in your ability to succeed. There are a number of simple blog changes you can make to really get the kind of results you need. By focusing on a few of these tips such as creating aesthetically pleasing content, and making information easy for readers to share, you can easily increase your chances for success.

Content Layout -  The most important thing to remember when creating content is to use header breaks, images, and proper spacing. You want to make your content easy to read and easy to digest. Use larger fonts for headings, insert images to break up content, and space paragraphs and headers to make it easy for users to skim articles.

Make Commenting Easy – Make commenting as easy as possible for readers. Do not require a difficult registration process or anything that makes it a hassle for readers to leave a comment. You want users talking about your content, so it is important that you make this as simple as possible for them.

Social Buttons – Make sure you add social buttons to your site so that users can easily share your content. Do some research to find out what sites are most popular with your readers. Make a simple and clear section where you can place all of your social media widgets in one space.

Related Posts As Thumbnails – One of the more difficult things to do is to keep users on your blog longer. Most users want to read the one article and back out. A great idea is to display popular posts and related content widgets on the same page. This can get users interested and increase both page views and time spent on your site.

Well done meta tags play an important part in telling both search engines and consumers what it is you have to offer. A meta tag description is no longer than 155 characters and plays a valuable role in driving traffic to a website. A well-written, inviting description will attract attention, entice users, and drive consumers to click on your link to learn more. The description meta tag plays an important role in the success of your blog or site.

A meta description informs a search engine as to what your website is about. If your description is poorly written or inaccurate, Google’s algorithm will replace it with their own version of what it is you are offering. This typically does not play out well, which makes it even more important that you actually write one for your site. By writing a good description, you can be certain of what users are reading.

Meta descriptions can also help with site rankings. Although meta descriptions do not weigh heavily with site rankings it can help when used with secondary keywords. Stay aware of the keywords you use in your descriptive summary and you will see some help with your page rankings. Secondary keywords can be of value simply by adding an -ing or -s.

Most importantly, good meta descriptions will help your click through rates. With a fun and interesting descriptions more people will click through to your site. It should not only describe what it is you do or have to offer, but entice users. Get creative.This description is what shows up on search engines, making it your one chance to grab their attention.

Staying on top of new marketing trends is essential to keep your client’s campaigns current. With content marketing continuing to expand, there are constantly new and innovative trends you will want to stay aware of. Whether you are an experienced marketer using it for your current clients or a small business just learning about content and trends, you will want to keep up to date on the most popular and important happenings in content marketing.

• Mobile Content Marketing – Mobile content marketing is becoming more and more important. Marketers should use the same strategies as with their online marketing campaigns yet work to make shorter content really stand out. You want to attract and keep user attention on a smartphone or tablet.

•  Visual Content – There is a bigger focus on visual content than ever before. Photos and even videos are more likely to be shared by users than text posts. Popular sites and apps like Pinterest and Instagram have made visual content the preference with most consumers.

• Newsjacking – Newsjacking is a form of content marketing that involves a method of inserting your brand or business into news stories as they happen. This takes a lot more planning on marketers end, but has become one of the biggest trends of 2013.

No matter if your business is big or small, everyone can benefit from implementing content marketing into their program. Understanding the basics is important but staying on top of new and developing trends will keep you and your clients enjoying its benefits.

Last week SEOmoz unveiled their latest beta product: Fresh Web Explorer, that allows you to track all your links, social mentions and web citations all in one place. With Fresh Web Explorer, you will have easier way to keep track or all the forums, blogs and sites that mention your brand, business, or website. This means you can stop using a number of different tools, making things much simpler.

Just a few of the ways you can immediately use Fresh Web Explorer:

* Check on or keep track of content strategy terms over time, so that you can get an idea of what type of content is getting the most mentions, links, and shares.

* Run competitor analysis so that you can find out where your competitors are being mentioned.

* Find recent mentions where you are not being linked.

As fresh link and mention data becomes more important to marketers, this tool will make a huge difference in your ability to sort mentions by source and date. Fresh Web Explorer will allow you to export data and perform customized searches so that you can customize your reports.

Visit the SEOMoz blog to find out more on how you can use the new Fresh Web Explorer marketing tool to benefit the way you keep track of your business.

Team Justin, is a non-profit organization, supporting the fight to find a cure for ALS. The organization was created by friends and family to support and honor Justin Whitehead who was diagnosed at the age of 29 with Lou Gehrigs disease. Team Justin’s goals are to raise awareness and raise money to support ALS research. ALS currently has no known cause or cure.

You can join Team Justin  for the Charity Golf Scramble, which takes place Saturday April 6, 2013 at 12:00pm at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course in Sand Diego, CA. Sign up and receive with your entry fee, a cart, green fees, unlimited range balls, and then take part in a BBQ and silent auction.

Can’t make it for a day of golf? You can still donate to this wonderful cause by becoming a corporate sponsor. Sponsors can donate for exclusivity, player gift, golf cart signage, or contest sponsor status. All time and money donated is to further research and raise awareness to help find a cure for those affected by this deadly disease.

Your donation and support can make a difference in the fight to cure ALS. Find out more about the Charity Golf Scramble and how you can take part in this special event at www.teamjustin.com.

Search engine optimization is an important part of the blogging process. Blogs are critical to any social media strategy, as most other tools simply support and create awareness for the content you are placing on your site. Blogs are the best way to generate new leads and potential clients. To improve your blog’s visibility on search results, you may want to follow a few simple tips.

- Create content that your target audience actually wants to read.

- Build more landing pages instead of just posts.

- Implement on-site trust signals for Google to rank higher on search results.

- Optimize categories and tags.

- Make it easy for search engines to find access and index your site easily.

These are just a few simple things that will allow you to take full advantage of SEO on your blog. Content quality is always important as is creating elements that will allow visitors to take action or start a conversation. By tracking everything on your blog that is doing well, you will be able to take advantage of all of your traffic while getting the recognition your blog needs from search engines.

Twitter’s new video-sharing application, Vine, is already positioning itself to be a rising star with marketers, brands, and business. Vine allows users to record 6 second videos from their iOS phones, and upload them directly into their Twitter account. With only a few weeks in existence, it is proving to be a great way for brands and businesses to show instead of tell, a creative story about their products and services.

Vine can play a key role when integrated into your social media marketing.  Brands, businesses, and even media news outlets are using the video app to connect with social users in totally unique ways. Incorporate Vine into your Twitter marketing strategy by shooting:

• A look behind the scenes
• Product demonstrations
• Video contests for followers
• Short looping stories/commercials

Use keywords and hashtags with your Vine videos just like you would with any Tweet to make them truly affective.

With Twitter’s new Vine app, businesses have an almost cost-free way to market products and services while engaging with consumers and humanizing the brand.  It’s just another great way to create awareness and generate traffic to your business.

Mobile marketing has quickly become a priority for online businesses both big and small. By maximizing your website’s mobile potential, you will be able to meet the needs of users on the go. As the use of smartphones and tablets continues to grow, it will be important to improve your mobile search visibility with a targeted approach towards SEO.

Understanding that mobile users are different is crucial. Mobile users browse sites differently from their smartphones and are typically looking for specific answers with a more local focus. With different technology and services, it can be difficult for many mobile users to view normal site content. These are just a few of the considerations needed when making decisions on how to implement your website for mobile viewing.

Google has created specific search bots to tackle the huge growth in smartphone users. This means Google is able to identify mobile content for SEO, giving users a better experience and ensuring your business gets noticed.

Get detailed help on how to build mobile-optimized websites with recommendations from Google Developers, here.